Traveled to Asgard, fell for Sif, gained powers of Thor, defeated Thor & kidnapped Sif, came to senses & sacrificed self fighting Midgard Serpent (Thor #273-278, 1978); resurrected by Odin, returned to protect Asgard by his decree (Thor #477-478, 1994); vs Hulk & Hoarfen (Hulk #421-423, 1994); vs Thor again, gained his respect (Thor #478-479, 1994); told Sif he accepted they would never be more than friends (Thor #482, 1995); witnessed Thor vs Loki (Thor #483, 1995); sent back to Earth as a mortal, regained powers, joined Thor's hunt for lost Asgardians (Thor #501, 1996); driven out of New York by Onslaught, spent thoughtful night with Thor in Jersey (Thor #502, 1996); with Thor presumed dead, took on responsibility of finding missing gods alone, found three but then slain by minions of Seth (Journey into Mystery #503, 1996); now a minion of Seth, opposed Lost Gods when they entered Seth's realm (Journey into Mystery #508#509, 1997); tortured captive Lost Gods (Journey into Mystery #510, 1997); sent to reactive Asgardians' powers & memories, succeeded but restored own free will, joined Asgardians in battling Seth, ambushed by Dark Gods after battle (Journey into Mystery #512-513, 1997)

Occupation

Thunder God; former news cameraman

Known Relatives

Odin (adopted father)

Group Affiliation

Norse Gods, Warriors of Valhalla

Education

High school graduate

Physical Attributes

Height(Red) 6’ 2”, (Thor) 6’ 6”

Weight(Red) 170lbs, (Thor) 640lbs

EyesBlue

HairRed

Powers

Red possessed powers identical to Thor, notably superhuman strength and durability; initially he needed both Thor’s Belt of Strength and Iron Gloves to access this power, but his is no longer the case. He can mentally summon the hammer to his hand.

Abilities

Unrevealed

Weapons

Norvell possessed a Uru hammer that he can use to control the weather, fly, teleport between dimensions, spin it to block projectiles, and fire bolts of energy.

Roger “Red” Norvell was part of a documentary crew which Loki smuggled into Asgard, realm of the Norse gods. Smitten by the goddess Sif, Red made advances but was rebuffed. Red handled the rejection poorly, convinced he could not compete with Sif’s lover Thor. Loki offered Red power equal to Thor, and Red accepted, neither realizing they were fulfilling Odin’s plan. Some time before, Odin had placed a copy of Thor’s essence in Thor’s Iron Gloves, Belt of Strength, and the Fires of Geirrodur, so that he could empower another were Asgard threatened in Thor’s absence. More recently, Odin had learned Loki and Hela were trying to trigger the cataclysmic event Ragnarok, which according to prophecy would cause Thor’s death fighting the Midgard Serpent; Odin plotted creating another Thor to die in his son’s place. Red donned the belt and gloves and entered the fire, emerging transformed into Thor’s equal but mad with power. Red challenged and defeated the true Thor, and when Thor refused to yield, Red fired a lethal energy bolt. Joey, the documentary’s sound engineer, leapt between them, and was killed. Partially regaining his senses, Red told Sif he would spare Thor if she left with him. They traveled to Alfheim, where the kidnapped Sif gradually talked Red back to sanity. Realizing he would never win her, Red returned to Asgard to make amends, taking Thor’s place battling the Serpent and dying; Red’s spirit went to Valhalla.

When Odin and Thor became estranged, Odin restored Red’s powers, gave him his own Uru hammer, and resurrected him. Red became Asgard’s protector, battling both the Hulk and the giant wolf Hoarfen. When Thor returned to confront Odin, the two Thors came to blows, but Thor later gave Red his blessing, recognizing his bravery and acknowledging that both Asgard and Midgard needed Thor protecting them. Though Red’s feelings for Sif remained, he accepted she would never love him, and they became friends.

To fool Ragnarok and prevent the Egyptian death god Seth from destroying them, Odin exiled the Asgardian gods to Earth in mortal form, unaware of their true identities. Red retained his memories, but lost his powers; however, when Thor regained his powers, so did Red. They reunited to find the missing Asgardians, but before they could, Thor seemingly died battling Onslaught. Red tracked down three lost gods before Seth’s minions killed him. This time Red went to Seth’s domain, falling under his power. When the Lost Gods traveled there, Red captured them, but they escaped and returned to Earth. Seth meanwhile learned how to restore the Asgardians’ identities, and that if he destroyed the world tree Yggdrasil afterwards, all the Asgardians would die. Seth send Red to carry out the first part, but when Red restored the Asgardians, he also resurrected himself, breaking Seth’s hold. He hastily returned to Asgard and helped stop Seth. Seconds after Odin vanquished Seth, the extraterrestrial Dark Gods launched a sneak attack, capturing the Asgardians. Presumably freed when Thor later defeated the Dark Gods, Red’s fate in light of the recent, final Ragnarok is unknown.